Tag Archives: NYC Department of Transportation

Three events will be taking over the western Queens neighborhood, bringing residents and visitors from near and far the best in food, drinks, activities, the arts and much more.

The first of these events is the ongoing LIC Flea & Food located at the outdoor lot on the corner of 5th Street and 46th Avenue. Items for sale include food and drinks, collectibles, antiques, arts and crafts, and fashion. For the remaining weekends in March, the LIC Flea will only be running on Saturdays.

During the weekend the 2014 LIC Arts Open, which began Wednesday, will also be taking over with local artists holding open studios on Saturday, and on Sunday hosting a closing party and silent auction.

On Saturday, the first-ever free LIC Springs! block party, which is part of the city’s Department of Transportation’s Weekend Walks program, will shut down Vernon Boulevard to vehicular traffic from 50th to 46th avenues. From 1 to 6 p.m. the block party will feature performances, activities, and food and items sold by local business owners.

“Together these events show that there is something for everyone in Long Island City and should draw New Yorkers of all ages to LIC,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, president of the Long Island City Partnership. “Arts, culture, lively performances, activities and, of course, a cornucopia of culinary options — and all from local participants.”

Also for this weekend, the MTA has announced the No. 7 train would take a break from its weekend disruptions and will be running to help visitors get to and from Long Island City.

Just a neighborhood away, the Astoria Flea & Food at Kaufman Astoria Studios will be entering its third of eight Sundays of operation. After paying a visit to Long Island City, don’t miss out on the numerous vendors at the Astoria Flea.

Noshat Nahian was on his way to school, when he was fatally struck by a truck while crossing the busy thoroughfare at 61st Street in December, police said.

In response to the tragedy, the city will install two pedestrian safety islands at the intersection, and remove the westbound left turn bay and signal on Northern Boulevard to eliminate possible vehicle and pedestrian collisions.

“Safety is the agency’s first priority, and following earlier enhancements including parking restrictions to increase the visibility of pedestrians on the northeast corner of the intersection, DOT will proceed with a comprehensive redesign of the area,” a DOT spokeswoman said.

The agency will also adjust signal timing to maximize crossing time for pedestrians, and install school crosswalks at every crossing to increasing the visibility of pedestrians.

Work on the project is expected to be conducted in the following weeks using in-house resources, according to the DOT.

“I am glad to see the city stepping up safety measures at this deadly intersection, though I only wish these plans had been completed before the life of Noshat Nahian was so tragically lost,” said Senator Michael Gianaris, who has worked to ensure that Northern Boulevard, and other western Queens roads, receive attention in the Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative.

“This is an encouraging step in that direction but we have far more to do to remove the dangers posed by our streets,” Gianaris said.

“We must do everything possible to make sure that no child is ever harmed trying to cross the street to get to PS 152. We continue to mourn Noshat Nahian and we are as committed as ever to making Vision Zero a reality in Woodside, and New York City,” Van Bramer said.

Friday: Overcast with snow, then a chance of snow and rain in the afternoon. High of 41. Breezy. Winds from the North at 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of snow 80% with accumulations up to 1 in. possible. Friday night: Partly cloudy. Low of 34F with a windchill as low as 25. Breezy. Winds from the North at 10 to 20 mph.

A wintry mix of snow and rain fell Thursday night across the Tri-State Area during the second part of a winter storm that already brought lashing winds and flooding across the Jersey Shore and parts of Long Island. Read more: CBS New York/AP

City’s jobless rate in January hit 4-month high

New York City’s unemployment rate rose back above 9 percent at the start of 2013, even though the city started the year with more jobs than it had ever had, according to reports released on Thursday. Read more: New York Times

More thieves swipe unattended iPhones at NYC bars

Reports of iPhone thefts have spiked across the city, but it appears to be in nightclub and bar-packed neighborhoods where victims more frequently pay a hefty cost for a moment of distraction. Read more: NBC New York

Faux fur at Century 21 fur real, activist claims

Fake fake fur, perhaps, but the fake fur on display may be anything but. So it seems at discount department store Century 21, which has come under fire for allegedly labeling garments as “faux fur” when they were real fur. Read more: Crains New York

Teen pregnancy posters criticized by Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood of New York City says a new campaign targeting teenage pregnancy stigmatizes teenage parents and their children. Read more: ABC New York

Congressman King: Bin Laden’s son-in-law captured in Jordan

U.S. officials have captured Osama bin Laden’s spokesman in Jordan, Rep. Peter King announced Thursday. Read more: CBS New York

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is hoping that newly designed signs will simplify parking in New York City.

On Monday the DOT unveiled the easy to read and see parking regulations signs, which will initially replace 6, 300 in Midtown Manhattan through this spring, then in other parts of the city.

The problem with the old parking signs was that they had differing colors, typefaces, font sizes and confusing phrasing, said the DOT. The new standardized two-color signs are phrased and formatted so they are easier to read.

“New York City’s parking signs can sometimes be a five-foot-high totem pole of confusing information,” said DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “Parking signs play an important role in setting the rules at the curbside and these changes will make regulations easier to read and take the stress out of figuring out where and when you can legally park.”

Bobby Patel, owner of Village Card and Gifts, said during busy times of year — like during the holidays or when school is in session — it is not uncommon to see cars blocking the fire lane in the parking lot of the Lindenwood Shopping Center.

About twice a year, he said there will be an accident because a driver might be going the wrong way.

Parking, misdirection and the need for better-drawn lines are some of the problems residents run into when using the lot, despite a strict policy from law enforcement on fire lane parking.

One Lindenwood resident said people parking in the fire lane can affect drivers trying to pull in or out of handicapped spots.

“For the senior citizens it’s not good,” he said, motioning toward a section of handicapped spots not far from the fire lane. The resident said he had witnessed several incidents in which an elderly person tried to get out of a spot but couldn’t because of someone parked in the nearby fire lane.

Police from the 106th Precinct are not allowed to enforce moving violations in the private parking lot, an NYPD spokesperson said. They are only allowed to ticket drivers for illegally parking in handicapped spots or in the fire lane. The number of calls for fire lane violations was undetermined but prominent, the spokesperson said. No matter the amount of time parked, or the reason, the spokesperson said, there is a zero tolerance policy for leaving a car in the fire lane, which runs the length of the strip mall.

The Lindenwood Alliance has recommended several options to better the parking situation, said Joann Ariola, president of the organization. One idea is to hire a private enforcement company to monitor the violations in the parking lot.

The center’s management company, Howard Plaza Realty, has been working with the civic group to address these concerns. Ariola said the company plans to repave the parking lot, put up more signs and make sharper lines for the fire lanes and parking spaces.

Joe Trotta, a manager at the company, said paving for the parking lot is planned for September, with new parking lines and one way arrows on the pavement.

“Hopefully with the paving and the new striping and the arrow directions will help to alleviate this problem,” he said.

Private enforcement, however, is not something the company has looked into at this time, Trotta said.

Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder has also contacted the management company regarding the parking and direction issues in the shopping center. The shopping center was an ideal location that well-served the community, Goldfeder said, but the fading lines and signage needed to be corrected to avoid further problems.

“These problems are simple to fix and should be addressed as soon as possible,” Goldfeder said. “Owners and management at the shopping center have been great community partners and I am confident that they will do everything they can to ensure that shoppers are safe while visiting local stores.”

Calls to Councilmember Eric Ulrich’s office and the Department of Transportation were not returned.

Despite getting ticketed, sometimes numerous times, Patel said some people get used to parking in the lane and continue to do so, no matter what.